Driving Exams

[E.M. Skies]

When I was a teenager, I remember being really nervous to take my road test after obtaining my permit. I ended up looking up Youtube videos of people taking their driving exams to get prepared for mine. I was shocked to see the stark differences in road tests taken depending on the state in which they were administered. My road test in Michigan consisted of a parking test that had to be passed before being able to get on the road; those who could not pass the parking would automatically fail the road test. The parking exam included driving up to a line without passing it, parking backwards, and parallel parking. For the on-the-road test, I had to show that I was able to drive on residential, rural, and interstate roads, as well as being able to turn the radio on and off.  The whole exam is required to take approximately one hour to complete. From videos taken in other states, I saw that some states only require a parking exam or a short loop around the area that the test is administered. I would be interested in hearing accounts of other's road tests experiences. Do you think your road test was too hard or not difficult enough? Do you believe that the quality of the road test reflects the quality of your driving or others driving in your state?